A government watchdog organization on Tuesday asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to look into whether Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, broke ethics rules by exposing a local activist in a letter to her employer.
In a letter to Omar Ashmawy, the office’s staff director and chief counsel, Campaign for Accountability said that Frelinghuysen appeared to use his position “to coerce a New Jersey bank into constructively terminating an employee.”
In a March fundraising letter to a board member of a local New Jersey bank, Frelinghuysen warned of “organized forces — both national and local” working against his agenda.
“P.S. One of the ringleaders works in your bank!” a postscript to the letter noted, written in the same ink as the congressman’s signature.
A news article attached to the letter quoted Saily Avelenda, a member of a nonpartisan group that has pressured Frelinghuysen to meet with constituents.
Avelenda formerly served as senior vice president and assistant general counsel at the bank. She told WNYC that she resigned from her position in part because of pressure she received for her political involvement, and said Frelinghuysen “used his name, used his position and used his stationery to try to punish me.”
In a news release sent to reporters, Campaign for Accountability executive director Daniel Stevens said Frelinghuysen “is ripping a page from President Trump’s playbook by trying to wreak vengeance on a political opponent.”
“If trying to get someone fired for exercising her constitutional right to engage in political activity doesn’t reflect poorly on the House, what does?” Stevens said. “The OCE should immediately make clear this sort of conduct is out of bounds.”
Might not be so good for this Frelinghuyssen. GOP “Ethics”(cough) people may be looking to make an example out of somebody–who doesn’t take paychecks in rubles.
Not going to happen in Paul Ryan’s House. You start pulling one thread and the whole wig er rug comes undone.
He’s white and male therefore he will keep his job unless it looks like he’s about to lose an election
But Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is a Repuglican. And everyone knows that Repuglicans don’t have to follow the law, much less ethical rules. That is what makes them repugnant. And besides, he and his party now have a President to model all the best behaviors: Lying, cheating, slandering, groping, leaking secrets, and so forth, including doing everything possible to destroy one’s critics and opponents, especially if they are women.
Plain and simple, slime is slimy.